WoM- Why is it that whenever I offer people their pick of my stories, they always choose this one? Kinda a weird pattern, now that I think about it… and if it keeps up at this rate, this story'll be finished before long. I doubt it'll go past fifteen chapters, after all… Anywho, this update's for Nari-Maruko, who helped me feel better on a really, reeeeeeally bad day. THANK YOU!
Vlad: (To Jazz, after she attacks him) You think you can defeat me! Do you remember that, with the simple push of a button, I can end your resistance once and— (Danny suddenly phases upwards and takes the remote from Vlad's hands) Oh, cheese logs...
Guardian
Well, it's now or never… Mr. Lancer sighed heavily to himself as he fiddled with the switch for the intercom, wondering why on earth he felt so nervous. He had nothing to be nervous about, after all. He was fairly certain that Danny wouldn't use any of his… powers on him, and even if he did it wasn't like Lancer didn't have the ability to see it coming.
Taking a deep breath, Mr. Lancer flicked the switch from OFF to ON.
"Attention Teachers." He spoke with a calm, clear tone. "We apologize for the interruption, but the following students need to be seen in the vice principal's office immediately; Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Jazz Fenton and Danny Fenton. Thank you for your time, you may now return to your studies."
Turning the switch back to OFF, Mr. Lancer slumped back in his seat in exhaustion. Closing his eyes he went over the speech he'd prepared and the list of questions he'd ask one last time before the student's arrived.
That was when he was hit with a large sense of fear coming from the History wing of the school, where he knew Danny was in the middle of a class.
Mr. Lancer found it a little ironic that a boy who fought daily for his life against everything from deranged ghosts to his own parents and friend could be afraid of talking to his vice principal. He'd seen some of Danny's fights, after all, and he knew some of those ghosts weren't pushovers.
Though it's still hard to believe it really was Danny fighting them… That was probably part of the reason not only he, but everyone else in Amity, had never paid any mind to the physical similarities of the boy.
After all, Danny Fenton was a clumsy, shy and awkward young man who never seemed to have any interest in following his parent's footsteps and becoming a ghost hunter, Whereas Danny Phantom was a powerful, confident super ghost who never let anything faze him.
How can two personalities that are so different from one another belong to the same person? Mr. Lancer wondered, tapping a pen against his desk in thought. And then there were Danny's friends and sister to think about as well… What on earth are these children doing to themselves?
Before Lancer could muse over this any further, his office door opened and the moment of truth arrived in the form of four teenaged students."You wanted to see me, sir?" Danny asked as he stopped in the middle of the room, flanked by his two best friends as Jazz shut the door and hovered around it anxiously, as if to make sure no one came close enough to overhear anything.
Mr. Lancer was taken aback for a moment. The tone Danny used wasn't one he'd ever heard from the boy before. It was clearer, more confident, with an infallible sense of pride that Danny had never seemed to possess…
That's his Phantom facade. Mr. Lancer realized, studying the boy again. That's the front he puts up for his enemies and those he protects, to make them feel he can handle anything.
Then what was Danny's Fenton to him? Another mask, used to hide the true face of Phantom? Which parts of Danny's personality where his, and which were made up to protect other people and himself?
No Guys in White in here… Danny said to himself as he cased the room warily. That's a good sign, I guess."Of course there are no Guys in White here, Danny." Mr. Lancer responded bluntly. It was probably best to lay all cards on the table and get this over with now, after all… "I never had any intention of calling them." Danny flinched a little at that.
Forgot he can read minds…
"Yes, I can." Mr. Lancer sighed. "And you, Danny Fenton, lead a double life as Danny Phantom."
"What?" Jazz squeaked out in a shrill, nervous tone. "Mr. Lancer, that's crazy! How can Danny be a ghost? He's still alive!" The teacher leveled a look at his student that had her flinching and drawing back slightly.
"That," Mr. Lancer said in a soft tone. "is precisely what I want to know."
There was a long lapse of silence as all eyes turned to Danny to see what the next move was going to be. Grimacing slightly, the half ghost sighed heavily and closed his eyes, looking more serious then Mr. Lancer had ever seen him before.
"What are you going to do after we tell you everything?" Danny asked, opening his eyes to give Mr. Lancer a suspicious glare.
"Yeah!" Tucker piped up, moving to stand next to Danny. "I mean, if your just gonna go to the press or the Guys in White with the whole story, we kinda want some advance warning here."
"I'm not going to tell the Guys in White anything." Mr. Lancer repeated himself in annoyance. "And I'm not going to say anything to the press, either." There was a beat of silence after that as all the kids wondered if they should trust the teacher, before Danny sank into the chair that was in front of Lancer's desk.
"I had an accident." He said bluntly. "It was while back. Sam, Tucker and I were all in my parent's lab to check out the Ghost Portal."
"Danny didn't want to be down there, but Sam heard a little bit about it from Mr. Fenton and wanted to see for herself." Tucker said, taking over the story. "But then Sam said something about how Danny should check inside the Ghost Portal."
"It wasn't working!" Sam snapped, a defensive tone working into her voice as she glared at her friend. "I didn't think anything would happen, okay?" Lancer raised an eyebrow when he felt the undertone of guilt the girl was trying to hide.
"But something did happen." Danny picked up the story again. "I was in the portal, and it was too dark to see anything. I ended up putting my hand on something, and next thing I knew there was a bright light and a lot of pain." Danny got lost in memories here, and Mr. Lancer couldn't help but flinch when he found the boy had made an understatement about how much pain he'd been in.
"Sam and I didn't know what happened." Tucker told Mr. Lancer with a wry smile. "When Danny came out of the portal looking like that, we thought he really was a ghost for a second."
And that I'd killed him. Sam said bitterly in her mind, the feeling of guilt becoming more pronounced. Still, she was too proud to say anything, so she merely scowled into space and crossed her arms.
"Even I didn't know what'd happened at first." Danny admitted with a dry chuckled, unaware of his friend's thoughts. "It's still kinda a blur to me. I just… I remember looking down at my and getting confused because it wasn't the right color anymore… so I went over to the mirror to see what had happened." Danny sighed here, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think it was me, at first. I mean, my hair, my eyes, my skin… I didn't look like myself anymore."
"Danny passed out after he saw himself, and changed back to normal." Sam continued for her friend. "That's when Tucker and I snapped out of it and went to go find Mr. and Mrs. Fenton."
"When Mom and Dad heard what had happened, they lost it." Jazz spoke up at last, seeing that it was her turn to tell the story. "We all went down to the lab to see if Danny was okay, but he seemed fine even after he woke up. After a while, we decided that Danny just got a nasty shock from the portal, which was what got it working."
"We almost believed it, too." Danny said wryly. "Sam, Tucker and all were almost convinced that the whole ghost side of me was just a mass hallucination from the energies of the portal or something… at least until the next day when I fell through my bed and into the kitchen."
"Literally through it." Tucker repeated with a nod. "One second he was sitting there trying to figure out how to beat level nine of Doomed Fortress, and the next he was sinking down through solid ground."
"After that, we kinda figured there was more to the story then we first thought." Sam spoke up again in a droll tone.
"So, I've spent almost all my time since then figuring out my powers, fighting off ghosts, and trying to get all my school stuff done." Danny sighed, crossing his arms and glancing out the window on his right.
Which is all a lot harder then it sounds, by the way…
"I see…" Mr. Lancer rubbed his temples, sorting all of this information out and comparing what they were telling him with what he knew so far… "And you, Ms Fenton? How did you get involved in all of this?" Jazz seemed a little surprised at the chance of subject at first, though it was a legitimate question.
The redhead's involvement in this chaotic web of lies was one of the most puzzling aspects to Mr. Lancer. After all, she'd never appeared to have any interest in following her parent's footsteps as ghost hunters. Far from actually, she'd always been mortified at her parent's choice of careers…
"Oh, well I found out about Danny on my own, when the whole Spectra thing was happening." Jazz explained. "I saw him transforming in an alley, and it wasn't too hard to figure things out from there. But I didn't say anything because I wanted him to tell me on his own terms, so I just kinda helped him the best I could from the sidelines for a while."
"I figured out she knew a while ago, after one of the biggest fights I've ever had." Danny explained, coming back into the conversation again. "Since then, Jazz has been covering for me with Mom and Dad and helping with my homework."
And your wounds. Jazz added silently to herself, an uneasy feeling overcoming her. Mr. Lancer got the feeling that that wasn't her favorite part of the job…
"Speaking of your parents, why haven't you told them about all of this yet?" Mr. Lancer demanded. It seemed to him that having two parapsychologist would be highly beneficial to a half ghost out to save the world. There was another beat of silence as Tucker, Sam and Jazz looked at Danny uncertainly yet again.
"Mom and Dad… they deal with things their own way." Danny said carefully. "I know they'll accept me no matter what I am, but I don't think they'll know what to do with this after they found out. Besides, there's a lot of other complicated stuff I wanna deal with first."
Like Vlad, for one. Danny told himself coldly. Vlad's probably gonna know when I'm outing myself two minutes before I do, and he won't sit by and let my family live 'happily ever after' if he has anything to say about it. He'd probably figure that I'd tell mom and dad about him, meaning he won't have to hold back anything when he's trying to kill my dad, marry my mom and make me his evil apprentice for all eternity.
…Okay, that one lost him.
"What?" Lancer demanded. "Indian in the Cupboard, Danny, what on earth are you talking about?"
"…huh?" Jazz, Tucker and Sam all exchanged confused looks.
"It's a long story…" Danny sighed. "…And stay outta my mind! Isn't that, like, invasion of privacy or something?"
"I can't help it, Danny." Mr. Lancer said, annoyed. He wanted to talk about the boy, after all, not his own powers. "I hear your thoughts just as clearly as I hear the things you say. I can't turn it off or make it stop, just like I can't turn off my regular listening abilities."
"Well, can't you at least gimme some warning that you're listening in or something?" Danny asked, blushing slightly.
Figures I'm not even safe in my own head anymore…
"I'm not trying to pry or make you feel uncomfortable, Danny." Mr. Lancer insisted. "I just want to know what's going on here."
"Why can't you just ask?" Sam shot back with a dark glare.
"Because you four would only lie to me." Mr. Lancer responded bluntly. The teens flinched simultaneously, looking uncomfortable for a moment, but none of them spoke up to deny it.
He has a point… Tucker admitted to himself. I can't even remember half of the lies I've told to cover for Danny.
So what if we lied a little? Sam demanded shortly. It was for the greater good, and anyways it was none of his business to begin with. We've been doing just fine on our own!
But we've had to lie. Jazz thought sadly. We accept Danny as he is, but that doesn't mean other people will, and Danny's made himself a lot of powerful enemies already. I mean, who knows what'll happen if Valerie or someone finds out…
"That's another point I wanted to bring up." Mr. Lancer said, frowning at the four. "Exactly what is going on between you children and Valerie?" The three younger students looked confused for a moment, but Jazz blushed brightly and fidgeted.
Man… Danny's right, that is creepy…
"Valerie?" Danny repeated, a blush working it's way across his cheeks. "The thing with Valerie is… complicated."
"Meaning…?" Mr. Lancer glared sternly, not willing to let the subject drop that easily. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Danny who responded, but Sam.
"Meaning that lover-boy here has it bad for Valerie even though she's tried to kill his ghost half so many times, it's not even funny!" Behind the goth's back, Tucker and Jazz exchanged knowing looks as Danny's face burned scarlet.
"Val's been a ghost hunter since her dad lost his job at Axion." Tucker explained, a little more helpfully. "She's good, too. Almost got Danny her first night out, 'til Sam and Danny decided to get a little cozy with one another."
"IT WAS A FAKE-OUT MAKE OUT!" Danny and Sam roared as one, but jumping to confront the boy as Mr. Lancer fell back in surprise.
"Call it what you want, dude, if there was lip-on-lip action, it's still a kiss."
"Anyways…" Jazz said, stressing the word to remind the three that it wasn't the right time for their argument. "Danny kinda unmasked Valerie in front of her dad before her took the Ecto-suit to fight Pariah, so he took away all of her weaons."
"But Technus went and gave her a whole new breed of ghost killing toys." Danny finished dryly for his sister. "Ones her dad couldn't take away even if he tried."
"I… uh… I see…" Mr. Lancer blinked uncertainly for a moment. "But who gave her the first suit, then?"
"Vlad." All four teens answered as one. Mr. Lancer sighed.
"If that name's going to keep coming up, can't you at least tell me who on earth he is?" He asked dryly.
"Vlad Plasmius." Danny answered shortly. "AKA Vlad Masters." Mr. Lancer couldn't hide his alarm here. "Yeah, that Vlad Masters. He's the first half ghost, and a certifiable fruitloop."
"Fruitloop?" The teacher repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"He's Danny's archenemy." Jazz said, playing with a strand of her hair nervously. "He got his powers in college, thanks to an accident Dad kinda caused. Since then, he's wanted to take revenge on Dad, marry Mom and—!"
"—make Danny his evil apprentice for all eternity, don't worry, I heard that part."
"He's a dangerous guy." Danny admitted, sounding serious.
"Of course he is!" Mr. Lancer said shortly. "He's the head of a billion dollar company!"
"I know." Danny sighed. "He's older then me, he's more experienced then me, he's smarter then me…"
"And you still always win." Jazz said pointedly, giving her brother a stern look.
"Through dumb luck."
"You still win, Danny, don't sell yourself short like that!"
"Enough." Mr. Lancer cut in before Danny could counter that. The teacher looked at the small group in front of him, trying to come to terms with everything he'd just heard. "I've heard enough. I still can't believe most of it, but I've most definitely heard everything that I need to know."
"So we're free to go?" Tucker said hopefully, his face brightening.
"Yes, on one condition…" All four faces fell nervously at that.
Why don't I like the sound of that…? Danny said to himself, his eyes fixed on Mr. Lancer. The teacher ignored the thought, firmly delivering his ultimatum.
"From now on, I don't want to hear about any of you being involved in hunting ghosts in any way, shape of form. And if I do, you can rest assured that I'll call all of your parents in for a conference, and I will tell them everything."
WoM- Dundunduuuuun:D Off to find a cozy hiding spot, see ya next update!
Thanks to;
xheartkreuzx, dPhantoMfreak, werewulf, Firehedgehog, Invader Johnny, CarmenElizabeth, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Missmeliss4251, pippy32388, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Jessica01, KittyKiChi, kennyk12, angel4u185, Writer's-BlockDP, Serena, shadow wolf thief, Jenna Dax, Harm Marie, Golden Lunar Eclipse, Balkoth, DD, Itallia, SquirrelGirl13, Phantom of a Rose, definenormalAB, ghostlover15, Kairi7, Esme Kali Phantom, emotigone crazy, Lt. Commander Richie, Meiriona, Sasia, Shenhua Phantom, Queen S of Randomness 016, KatrinaKaiba, Laura, epobbp, LokiWaterDraca, AnimeWerewolf, Delia Ra'Nar, Ghostboy814, dAnnYsGiRl777, Iona, NNF, Zarmina, Sirithiliel, AkoyaMizuno, Firefury, Kouhiofdoragons, Fey Phantom, femaleprongslet, midnight, conan98002, Rob Phantom, Kat, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, ilikedan, purrbaby101, SilverstarsEbonyskies, ImMoRtAl-FoOl, BratCat, Zuzanny, killerdoodlebug, Kirstyn.T, DragonSword35d, Madame Band Geek, kennyk12, Anomaly25, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Wingg-ed Wolf, Pterodactyl, A reader, The Sleep Warrior, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, Gmasangel, Rambie, dArkliTe-sPirit, Fan-Fic-CC27, fish n chips n vinegar, Frodo01228, J.J. Banks, Serena the Hikari of Love, kennyk12, Crossover Fiend, Jillie chan, ananomous writer, ShiroandFubuki, Lunaqua, Droodle Phantom, Darth Frodo, gatogirl1, softballgirl9411, AirGirl Phantom, Only Human, Kellie Fay, hollybells1, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, The Bushranger, Mr. Snuffles, Inumaru12, shadow929, CharmedNightSkye, Evillittlegurlie, ChoasGhostBoy, phoenix's shadow, Narugirl94, Becky Yuy, Bunny Bubble, sugarland31